Our final concept film of the year!! This one is extra special for us because our cousin, Leo, is the groom and Marilyn’s cousin, Lorelee, is the bride. Ever since Leo proposed to Lorelee a year ago, we’ve been working on the story for their video, and it practically wrote itself! Leo was inspired by the movie “The Wood” starring Omar Epps and Taye Diggs (see if you can spot our homage to this movie in our film).
Their story began in 1996 when they met for the first time at Scripps Ranch High School – which also happens to be my alma mater. Brainstorming ideas for this film was nostalgic – from blonde tips for the guys and bangs for the girls to pagers and letterman jackets – the pre-production process was just as much fun as the actual filming of the movie!
By the way, recognize the guys in the movie? They’re from our other concept film “A Sin City Love Story“! These guys have been best friends since high school. I consider them all my little brothers. Two of them are still unmarried… that means more epic movies to come in the future!
Scrippies from Starcross’d Creative on Vimeo.
And without further ado, we present our latest concept and first ever animated film… A True Love’s Story!
Synopsis: Once upon a time in the magical and far away land of Encarnacia, there lived a girl named Mae. She longed to meet her prince, her one true love. But under the spell of the wicked witch, Mae is banished from Encarnacia. She now has to find her prince before the stroke of midnight, or else evil will prevail over true love.
A True Love’s Story from Starcross’d Creative on Vimeo.
“Once upon a time, in a magical and far away land…” Sounds simple enough to read, right? Well, apparently, not so…
Animation Diary, Part 6 \\ Narration from Starcross’d Creative on Vimeo.
We’ve stepped away from doing the Animation Diaries over the weekend because of filming. So to get caught up, we’ve uploaded two Diaries today (parts 4 & 5)! Part 5 here introduces you to our little friend we call, Twit’r! John explains how we make our feathered friend take flight.
Animation Diary, Part 5 \ Animating Twit’r from Starcross’d Creative on Vimeo.
Music makes up half of any film. Sometimes, the right song can express the tone of a scene better than any words can. In researching music, we turn to our collection of Disney music – with a little bit of help from a techno version of Little Mermaid’s “Part Of Your World” found on YouTube. In part 4 of the Animation Diaries, Jevon shows us how the right (or wrong) song selection can really make or break a scene.
Animation Diary, Part 4 \\ Music from Starcross’d Creative on Vimeo.
Just as in any Disney princess movie, we had to have a musical number in our film. And rather than having Mae actually sing, we decided to make things simpler by using the actual song that was sung by Mary Costa in Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty.” In this edition of our Animation Diaries, John describes the animating process necessary in giving our character’s a voice.
Animation Diary, Part 3 \\ Lip Sync from Starcross’d Creative on Vimeo.
A good screenwriter would do plenty of research when writing a script that has a specific genre. Proper research can lead to great inspiration. Someone writing a biopic on a person would probably talk to friends and family of that person to find out how others perceive him/her. Or someone writing a epic war film would probably listen to stories from war veterans.
In part 2 of the Animation Diaries, Jevon and John discuss the careful research process we take in thinking up a story that is comparable to an actual Disney fairy tale.
Animation Diary, Part 2 \\ The Scriptwriting Process from Starcross’d Creative on Vimeo.
During the production of our first ever animated concept film, we will show you the process we go through in producing this Disney-inspired short film. Our film is entitled “A True Love’s Story,” and it takes from the story structure of Disney’s “Enchanted.”
For the first part of our Animation Diaries, John gives us a quick tour of the first step in our animation – which is to draw concept character designs for our couple, Pat and Mae.
Animation Diary, Part 1 \\ Character Design from Starcross’d Creative on Vimeo.
Our treatment for this concept film was approached differently than the previous concepts we’ve produced. Nidah and Darren wanted us to produce a short film that was simple, sweet, and romantic. And since having known this couple for some time and the fact that we wanted the video to reflect their personalities, it was beyond question that it needed to be approached in this fashion.
During our pre-production meetings, I asked Nidah at what point did she realize that Darren was going to be the one she would be with for the rest of her life. She told me the story of when they were first dating, they found a random piano sitting in a lobby of a party where they were at, and he unexpectedly began playing and serenading her the song, “Because Of You” by Keith Martin (which also happened to be their first dance song). It was at that point that she was completely smitten, and the rest is history.
So for this concept film, we wanted to bring back that feeling that she felt years ago when they were just starting to fall in love. We quickly began arranging this song with Jevon & John on guitars, and myself playing the keyboards. Darren, along with his brother Dean, recorded the vocals next. When it came time to film the video, we did not let Nidah hear the song we recorded.
She heard Darren’s dedication for the first time during their wedding reception when we finally premiered their concept film…
Falling Slowly from Starcross’d Creative on Vimeo.
Afterthought: This quote is taken from Jevon’s brother, Jason Quade… “You know you’ve done something great, when it’s your heart that speaks what words were meant to say.”
Shot with a Canon 5DmkII 50mm f/1.4, Sony HVR-V1U, and Canon HV30 \\ Stabilizers : Alistair Glidetrack, Steadicam Merlin
For this short film, Bernadette and Donald gave us no restrictions or limitations to the script we were to write for them. From noticing their personalities, they reminded me of the couple from the movie “Knocked Up” (directed by Judd Apatow). So with this as our inspiration, we set out to produce a comedy that places these two in a situation that is recently familiar – their wedding planning!
And per their initial direction, we wrote a script that did not hold back – uncensored and unashamed – through an inebriated first encounter to an unabashed and exposed Donald! But throughout all the silliness of production, the frustration of getting through takes without laughing and/or flubbed lines, and in between the multitude of production set-ups, I happened to catch a moment of peace between our star couple… the way they really are… in a loving embrace, and proud of each other’s efforts and commitment to the film.
Synopsis: A pair of unlikely people meet during one intoxicated evening, only to find themselves suddenly engaged the very next morning. Seeing no other option but to get married, Donald and Bernadette go through a hysterical and heartwarming journey through the process of wedding planning, while at the same time attempting to find compromise with each other’s differences.
Hooked Up from Starcross’d Creative on Vimeo.
The wedding itself was even more fun to film! It was no doubt a celebration for Bernadette and Donald, and their family and friends. We presented three videos that evening with “Hooked Up” and the following same-day edit and photo montage:
Bernadette + Donald : Same-Day Edit from Starcross’d Creative on Vimeo.
Bernadette + Donald \ Photo Montage from Starcross’d Creative on Vimeo.
Afterthought: Bernadette and Donald is the kind of couple whose personalities clashed but yet, these differences is what makes them perfect for each other. And with all relationships, they prove that love can only be achieved with equal compromise, trust, and patience.
Venue \\ Ceremony: Immaculata Church, USD \\ Reception: Coronado Marriott Resort
Photography by Tony Eisenhower Photography